Novus' innovative approach to prison education

Prison education is integral to a learner's rehabilitation journey. By taking part in education, learners gain the skills, knowledge, and qualifications needed to find quality employment opportunities and thrive upon release. 

Part of developing high quality prison education delivery is making sure that we are regularly innovating in our approach, in order to engage more prisoners in education, find more employment opportunities for learners, and equip them with the up-to-date skills and qualifications needed to navigate life outside of prison. 

Digital advancements in prison education 

Digital technology has become integral to everyday life - from the home to the workplace and it's becoming more apparent that digital is the future. The overwhelming majority of jobs on the market require candidates who possess basic digital literacy skills, and most job services and applications are also now accessed online. 

Learners need to be equipped with the necessary knowledge and certifications in essential digital skills, to navigate life outisde of prison, as well as find employment upon release. 

Our digital skills provision over the years has been truly innovative and transformative; we keep up with the ever-evolving digital landscape so that learners can access the most up-to-date digital qualifications, skills and knowledge, to set them up for success upon release. 

AI in the classroom for educators 

One of the main ways we've kept up with modern technology is by incorporating AI software. 

Through the use of digital tools like ChatGPT, TeacherMatic and other AI programmes, tutors are able to embed digital skills into their curriculum, no matter the subject.

Digital Skills at HMP Low Newton

Recently, in the digital skills class at HMP Low Newton, learners have been exploring internet safety, how to be responsible online, and how the power of social media can cause a viral spread of misinformation. 

The tutor used Open Borders to gather a number of new articles for learners to review and discuss as a group, learning how to distinguish fake news and unreliable information from factual and credible sources.

This included checking the publish date, whether information can be corroborated across other websites/sources and checking the quality of images and information used within the article.

Learners pointed out that spelling and grammatical errors are often a key sign of fake news. One learner shared that she had a recent phone call with her children, and was able to teach them about these methods to identify fake news on social media - all from the knowledge she had gained in her digital skills classes.

TeacherMatic in action

Over the past year, we've been testing the use of AI across a number of our sites.

Novus teaching colleague Alison Brown has shared how she uses TeacherMatic in a number of different ways to refresh lessons and create learning activities, helping to make her lessons engaging and fun, while also embedding crucial digital skills. 

New digital qualifications for learners

In our digital skills provision, we're focused on delivering the most relevant qualifications, so that learners are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to re-integrate into society. 

New digital qualifications to further support learners into employment upon release

As part of our digital provision, we've been runnning the Essential Digital Skills Qualification (EDSQ) for a number of years. 

However, since the launch of the NCFE's new Digital Functional Skills Qualification (DFSQ) last year, we've been able to roll out the new qualification, which will further equip learners with the skills needed to find employment upon release. 

Although the Essential Digital Skills (EDSQ) and Digital Functional Skills (DFSQ) qualifications are similar, DFSQ focuses on preparing learners for employment, whilst EDSQ focuses on skills for everyday life. 

The Digital Functional Skills Qualification (DFSQ) comes equipped with a wide range of resources, supplied by NCFE, to help with the delivery of the qualification. 

Novus colleagues are able to build on these resources to create bespoke lesson plans that suit our learners. When piloted at HMPs Buckley Hall and Deerbolt, tutors found the resources easy to use and functional. 

After a successful pilot of the Digital Functional Skills Qualification (DFSQ), the course is now ready to be rolled out to other sites. 

Prison learners now able to access digital badges with City and Guilds

At Novus, providing learners access to digital skills happens across all of our curriculum areas. 

We're very aware that without support, the pace of change in technology can leave learners at a real digital disadvantage, even with shorter sentences. 

Despite this strong focus on digital, until recently, learners still weren't able to access digital education records on release in the same way that learners from mainstream provision have been able to. 

However, thanks to hard work and collaboration, in recent months, a team made up of colleagues from Novus, Novus Works, HMP Humber and City and Guilds made sure that a Novus learner was able to receive a City and Guilds Digital Credential for qualifications achieved whilst in custody. 

Tailored learning approaches 

In addition to equipping learners with digital skills, at Novus we're aware that the 'one size fits all' approach to prison education does not benefit our learners. Tailoring our education plans to meet the needs of each learner is integral to our education provision, so that all learners have the chance to access education programmes and services. 

How tailored education plans benefit neurodiverse learners

Neurodiverse prisoners face many challenges once they enter the criminal justice system, making it difficult for them to understand the processes from arrest to court, straight through to sentencing and even life in prison. 

When it comes to prison education, a 'one size fits all' approach, would exclude neurodiverse learners from accessing the education and services they need. Without these services, learners won't be prepared for their release, resulting in an increased risk of reoffending. 

At Novus, we tailor our education plans to meet the complex needs of learners, giving them the support and resources needed to attend education classes. Tailored education programmes accomodate different learning styles, so that learners are able to engage in education in their own way, making it a more positive experience for them. 

With the right support and needs being met, learners can take part and gain the qualifications, skills or training needed to find employment upon release. Engaging in education in a way that suits them proves to learners that they're capable of thriving in a learning environment, as well as obtaining new qualifications. 

Providing tailored enrichment programmes to engage more learners in education

HMP Durham is a prison site where many offenders serve short sentences. So, in order to engage as many learners in education as possible, Novus colleagues tailor their programmes to learner interests and provide engaging opportunities through hands-on, interactive experiences. 

Recently, the English department at HMP Durham had a visit from author Bridget Hamilton. Alongside her own successful writing, she has worked with Gateshead Youth Council, Kielder Observatory, HMP Northumberland and BBC Radio Three. 

As part of the Local and Community History Month, Bridget delivered three sessions exploring heritage and personal histories with learners. They examined poetry by Dean Atta, our childhood memories and even local legends. 

The learners put together some fantastic work and were inspired by Bridget to think differently about writing. 

Digital and Creative Enrichment Strategies

In 2024, we launched our first ever Digital Strategy and our second Creative Enrichment Strategy, outlining our goals and plans for the coming year - to engage more learners in both provisions than ever before! 

Creating tailored strategies like this for specific subjects gives us a clear idea of how to support learners and colleagues alike, as well as ensuring that our education provisions are kept up to date, so we're able to provide excellent education opportunities.

The Novus Digital Strategy

Our approach to digital over the last few years has been truly innovative, with Novus colleagues giving learners the chance to reduce the skills gaps that can build up over even the shortest of sentences.   

We created the 2024/25 Digital Strategy to build on the great work that's already being done in digital, and to share our vision for developing the Novus team's digital capabilities going forward, as well as how they can support learners to build digital skills, use digital technology, and thrive upon release. 

 

The Novus Creative Enrichment Strategy 

 

Creative enrichment isn’t just about having an art department; it’s about embedding new and innovative ways of doing things across the entire curriculum, including vocational and functional skills, alongside traditional creative outlets. 

It’s about showing learners that there are many different ways to learn and working with partners to bring new opportunities to the classroom, which helps to improve the cultural capital of our learners.

The second version of our Creative Enrichment Strategy aims to improve access to arts and enrichment for our learners, strengthening our existing partnerships and forging new ones in a consistent way across all prison sites. 

Our strategic partnerships

 

To further support our work and gain knowledge and expertise from industry experts, we work with partners across our whole education provision to provide high-quality and holistic education opportunities. Working with partners ensures that we bring real-world experiences to our education provision, providing learners with practical skills and qualifications. 

We also work collaboratively with our employer partners to support as many learners into employment as possible. Working with employers, such as Greene King, enables us to create employer-led vocational training programmes and develop viable routes into employment. 

Our partnerships also allow learners to create connections and professional relationships with local and national businesses, that will help them to find employment upon release.

With the outside world constantly evolving, it’s crucial that our education provision is kept up to date with the latest technology, trends, and qualifications, to ensure learners aren’t left behind during their time in prison. 

To read more about how we’re engaging learners in education, take a look at the news section on our website.